In a perfect world, we would all explain what we want, people would agree without raising a fuss, AND everyone would go home happy. 

BUT as it turns out, life isn’t that simple, and neither are people. 

THEREFORE an amazing communication tool raises its hand and says, “Ooh ooh! I can help with that!” It’s a 3-letter acronym with ideas that are simple to learn, trickier to implement well, but incredibly clear and persuasive when you do.

(Hint: I just used it.)

00:00 Explain and persuade with 3 letters?

02:22 The client issue that went all the way up the flagpole

04:25 The good news and bad news about ideas

05:47 Donald Miller and the story definition

06:55 Kindra Hall and Stories That Stick

07:53 Park Howell, Randy Olson, and the ABT

09:55 What ABT is

11:16 ABT describes narrative (but falls short)

13:45 Using ABT for ordering and explaining ideas

16:23 Using ABT to persuade

16:56 Tom Wadelton and the client who wanted to leave

18:04 Comparing ABT in Narrative vs Persuading

19:21 How ABT Persuasive Mode aligns multiple stories

21:42 The need for starting with agreement in conflict

24:01 How Tom Wadelton used the ABT to persuade his client

25:16 ABT speaks to the strategic story in the audience's head

26:41 ABT saved almost $200,000 in future revenue!

27:23 Rant: Human connection isn't a talent, it's a skill that can be learned

28:21 Applying ABT to your own situation

💡👉 To apply for a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session to experience these ideas personalized to you or your team, email [email protected].

What if I told you there was a moral, ethical, and scientifically proven way to change the brains of people you’re talking to such that they end up liking you, trusting you, and doing business with you? 

Imagine being able to do that – potential clients say “yes, I want to work with YOU instead of anyone else”, existing clients and team members say “I believe that YOU actually understand me, let’s keep working together.” Happy clients, happy advisors, happy team, happy business.

But when most people hear about this scientifically proven way to change people’s brains that makes people say “yes”, they usually think one of two things: “Oh, that won’t work for business” or “That might work for some people, but I could never do that.”

Well, keep listening, because I’ve been practicing these skills in one form or another for over 40 years at this point, my advisor clients are doing it for themselves, and I’m about to show YOU how to do it too. 

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00:00 Ethical mind control?
02:53 Lying inside a brain scanner
03:55 The brain science of story
07:17 Story is not a magic wand
09:04 The mental shift: strategic story vs tactical story
13:31 The young accountant who got thrown under the bus
16:10 Story is not just for "talented" people
16:58 Story does not need complicated frameworks
18:36 Building a story: know your audience
19:48 Building a story: know your context
20:41 Building a story: know your goal or end result
23:12 Building a story: What does the audience care about?
26:19 Build your story around specifics
28:23 Build around a specific moment
29:39 Build around one specific character
30:37 Build around specific details
31:08 Build to include genuine emotion
31:52 Build to include a specific lesson or parallel
32:58 Reviewing the steps to build a tactical story
34:05 I thought you said this was simple...
36:04 Building an advisory client story from scratch
41:17 The advisor story built out
44:32 From squishy theory to tactical results

💡👉 To apply for a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session to experience these ideas personalized to you or your team, email [email protected].

Every moment of every day, our brains are sorting through an insane number of inputs, trying to make sense of the world. As we do, we end up connecting all sorts of meaning to everything we experience, from the most basic object – or number – to the most complex idea. When we discover those connections and even create connections of our own, we have an incredibly powerful tool for creating emotional bonds between us and the people we serve.

And when people feel positive emotions towards you and your business, that's when they pay attention, conversations continue, and people say yes to what you're offering them – when you know the answer to this question: What is The Thing Under the Thing?


💡👉 For a complimentary, no-obligation discussion on how to put these ideas into place for yourself or your team, email [email protected].

00:00 The power of deep communication
03:20 The bell in the tower
05:40 Defining The Thing Under the Thing
07:54 Mad Men and Eugene Schwartz
09:56 The connection already exists: green means go
11:06 Connection already exists: US flag
15:13 Pushing people's emotional buttons
15:55 Actively creating connections: cows and mini-vans
20:19 Creating connections in business: Clydesdales and beer
22:54 Symbolism in Marketing
25:33 Unspoken connections are still powerful: the iPod
28:45 The Thing Under the Thing is always there
30:46 Shaping messages in advisory industries
31:41 Things Under the Thing for law firms
33:50 Things Under the Thing for cannabis
40:22 Speaking to what people care about in their industry
40:52 Things Under the Thing for a CEO's EBITDA and her people
43:55 Results of The Thing Under the Thing

💡👉 To apply for a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session to experience these ideas personalized to you or your team, email [email protected].

Story feels very familiar, because it is. We're surrounded by it every day of our life. But very few people know that story exists both on the tactical level and the strategic level. When we unlock the true power of story, it becomes very good for us, and very good for the people we serve... which means it becomes VERY good for business.

It’s time to pull back the curtain on the key to understanding all human interaction – and it’s right in front of you every day.

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💡👉 For a complimentary, no-obligation discussion on how to put these ideas into place for yourself or your team, email [email protected].

00:00 The framework that explains it ALL

02:40 They didn't know what they had...

06:56 How Jeff learned about Story

12:46 How Jeff moved from Hollywood to coaching accountants

16:47 Inside baseball: what's happened in this episode so far

21:44 The journey matters

22:42 Story: familiar and tactical

24:49 Story at the strategic level

30:02 Crafting a strategic story for the transportation industry

36:05 What's in the next episode

💡👉 To apply for a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session to experience these ideas personalized to you or your team, email [email protected].

Accounting may have been around forever, but it’s facing changes and pressures like never before. In this episode, Jeff Bartsch details the challenges facing advisors, marketing leaders, and people leaders in the accounting industry – while setting the stage for the ideas that he’s used with his own clients to increase revenue, multiply human-centered thought leadership marketing content, and increase team members’ value to the company AND personal fulfillment.

💡👉 For a complimentary, no-obligation discussion on how to put these ideas into place for yourself or your team, email [email protected].

00:00 The challenges facing the accounting industry

01:43 Welcome to Speaking of Numbers

03:26 Challenges facing accounting advisors

05:46 How one conversation kept a client and saved $200,000

07:54 Challenges facing marketing leaders in accounting firms

09:40 How 3 accountants actually became public thought leaders

11:31 Challenges facing people leaders at accounting firms

12:39 An advisor fulfills a childhood dream

14:54 An advisor finds new purpose after cancer diagnosis

17:25 About the next episode: Story

💡👉 To apply for a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session to experience these ideas personalized to you or your team, email [email protected].